Behind and Before
by KnightlyWordsmith
Summary: She always stood behind him, in his shadow. To protect her, he always stood before her.


**AN: **This started off as a writing exercise trying to write the same scene from South's and then North's perspective. I was never really a huge fan of South but as I worked on this I found a more sympathetic side to her, but that may be me trying to project my own headcanon of South onto her actual character.

* * *

South held the pistol up to her brother's chest. Her breath heaved in and out from their brief struggle that left his weapon kicked out of reach and him at her mercy.

Finally. Finally she had won. She had finally bested him and come out on top. She could take everything from him here and now, just as he seemed to have been taking everything from her for so long.

Somewhere along the way things had gone wrong. Somewhere she had lost sight of the brother she loved, as her vision was clouded by anger and jealousy.

As her finger closed around the trigger she remembered how they'd gotten to this point.

High school graduation, that was when it had all started. That was when she'd first felt it. That burning rage that flared through her. She thought it had been fueled by an intense hate. It wouldn't be until much later that she would realize that it was jealousy. Much too late.

Valedictorian. Of course he would be valedictorian. He was smart, charismatic, funny and above all else likeable.

That was okay though. He _was_ the likeable one, the studious one, he deserved valedictorian. But the athletic one?

Athlete of the Year? Who played on three different varsity teams, and was named MVP of two of them. Sure he was captain of the soccer team, and scored their championship winning goal, but how had that merited him above her?

She should have been proud of him as he stood up and addressed the graduating class, getting laughs at the right points, and sighs when appropriate. He was her brother, her twin, her friend since the moment she entered the world.

But instead of the swell of pride she should be feeling, across her minds eye was plastered the image of him taking the stage after she accepted her second MVP Award. He met her eyes as they passed each other and she would never forget the smirk on his face. He knew full well that he was taking her due. The sight of him holding what was rightfully her Athlete of the Year Award would be one that would always lurk in the darkest recesses of her mind.

They were both set to attend the same university in the coming fall. Him on full scholarship, her on a $5,000 athletic scholarship. Four days before term was set to start she dropped out. She _wouldn't _continue to live in his shadow.

She enlisted in the military instead and reveled in the sense of individuality. Her jealousy at her brother ebbed away as she was finally able to excel in her own right, without him at her there to outshine her at every turn. Conversations with her brother were few but friendly. A phone call to each other on their birthday. Getting together one Christmas with their parents.

Then came the news that rocked her world. She'd been recruited to the secretive Project Freelancer program. They took only the best. She was one of the best and had now had it confirmed in one of the most certain ways possible.

If only she could call him. Call him and tell him what she had accomplished. Let him feel that burning envy just once. But no, that wasn't permitted. She wasn't allowed to discuss her recruitment with anyone.

When she landed on the Mother of Invention, her new home, she was ready for anything. Anything but who she found there.

She took a package from an official, the words Dakota, South stamped across it in red letters, and was informed to line up alphabetically with the other recruits.

Then she saw him. She was sure his look of surprise must have been mirrored on her own face, but she loathed it nonetheless. Though no words were said at first his expression spoke volumes. He couldn't believe she was here, didn't believe that she deserved to be in a top level military program.

Inwardly she snorted at his arrogance. If anything she deserved to be here more than he did. Who had spent the last four years in the military, and who had spent the last four years studying neurosciences?

After the initial moment of surprise, she stepped forward and took her place beside him. No, she corrected herself bitterly, she took her place behind him. Her four years of freedom were gone. She was back in her place, back in his shadow.

In quick whispers they filled the other in on how they had found themselves there. She told him of how her excellent performance in the field had brought her to the attention of the Director. Likewise he explained how his thesis paper had put him on radar of the higher ups of the UNSC, and after a crash course in military training, he had been recruited for Project Freelancer.

Then and there she vowed to outshine him. The military was her area of expertise and she would make sure he knew this.

With each passing mission she pushed herself harder. She took risks no one else would, in an effort to achieve the greatest results. Sometimes it would pay off. More often it wouldn't. Whenever it didn't, he always seemed to be there, picking up the pieces of her shattered mission, and besting her once again.

And there was Theta. That annoying, childish, brat. The sight of his glowing avatar always sparked that same rage she had felt as she watched her brother accept that Athlete of the Year Award so long ago.

Her twin was deemed fit for an AI before she was. Despite her years of experience in the military, and the effort she put into each and every mission, again she was passed by in favour of her brother.

She tried her best to overcome her anger. She was still a top level agent, she would remind herself constantly. It was just a matter of time before she was assigned an AI of her own.

So she waited, and waited. With each passing day that she went without her own AI her anger at her brother grew, souring their relationship.

The AI became a symbol to her. A symbol of the unattainable. If she could just get one of her own, then she could escape her brother's shadow. She could finally be recognised as his equal.

Her desire for an AI snapped something within her. It snapped the last ties she felt to her brother. Everything in her turned against him. All that was important now was attaining her own AI. Her inconceivable lust for the unattainable that her brother always had was what brought her here. It was what pulled the trigger.

Weeks later as she lie bleeding on her side her thoughts turned once again to her brother. The AI that had occupied her mind for those few short weeks was only a distant memory now. It was insignificant and she finally realized that it had never been that important after all.

Besting her brother had never been important. Her own jealousy had clouded her mind. Yes jealousy, she had been insanely jealous of her brother. He hadn't been taking things from her she realized. He had deserved what he got as much as she had, perhaps even more, and yet she had been petty and let the jealousy overwhelm her.

She had let her jealousy poison what had once been a loving relationship with her brother. She had let her jealousy take control of her and pull the trigger.

As she lie broken and dying she shed one tear. Not for herself, not even for her brother. She shed one tear for the love of her brother that she had tarnished and with her dying breath she begged for his forgiveness.

* * *

**AN: **

So, I hope you liked this piece and encourage you to leave a review of your opinion of it. I'd really like to know what you think of how I portrayed South's character. Check back soon for Part II from North's perspective!


End file.
